SACRAMENTOLOGY

Etymology
The English word sacrament is derived indirectly from the Ecclesiastical Latin sacrāmentum,
from the Latin sacrō ('hallow, consecrate'), itself derive from the Latin sacer ('sacred, holy').
In Ancient Rome, the term meant a soldier's oath of allegiance.

Tertullian, a 3rd-century Christian writer, suggested that just as the soldier's oath was a sign of
the beginning of a new life, so too was initiation into the Christian community through baptism
and Eucharist.

A sacrament is a Christian rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant.
There are various views on the existence, number and meaning of such rites. Many Christians
consider the sacraments to be a visible symbol of the reality of God, as well as a channel for
God's grace. Many denominations, including the Roman
Catholic, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Anglican, Methodist, and Reformed, hold to the definition of
sacrament formulated by Augustine of Hippo: an outward sign of an inward grace, that has been
instituted by Jesus Christ. Sacraments signify God's grace in a way that is outwardly observable
to the participant.

The Catholic Church, Hussite Church and the Old Catholic Church recognize seven
sacraments: Baptism, Penance (Reconciliation or Confession), Eucharist (or Holy
Communion), Confirmation, Marriage (Matrimony), Holy Orders, and Anointing of the
Sick (Extreme Unction). The Eastern Churches, such as the Eastern Orthodox
Church and Oriental Orthodox Church as well as the Eastern Catholic Churches, also believe that
there are seven major sacraments, but apply the words sacred mysteries corresponding
to Greek word, μυστήριον (mysterion), and also to rites that in the Western tradition are
called sacramentals and to other realities, such as the Church itself.

Many Protestant denominations, such as those within the Reformed denomination of Calvinism,
preach just two sacraments instituted by Christ, the Eucharist (or Holy Communion) and
Baptism. The Lutheran sacraments include these two, often adding Confession (and
Absolution) as a third sacrament.

Anglican and Methodist teaching is that "there are two Sacraments ordained of Christ our Lord
in the Gospel, that is to say, Baptism and the Supper of the Lord," and that "those five commonly
called Sacraments, that is to say, Confirmation, Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme
Unction, are not to be counted for Sacraments of the Gospel."

Some traditions, such as The Religious Society of Friends do not observe any of the rites, or, in
the case of Anabaptists, hold that they are simply reminders or commendable practices that do
not impart actual grace—not sacraments but "ordinances" pertaining to certain aspects of the
Christian faith.
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Like I said earlier, the Roman Catholic Church has seven holy sacraments that are seen as
mystical channels of divine grace, instituted by Christ. Each is celebrated with a visible rite,
which reflects the invisible, spiritual essence of the sacrament. Whereas some sacraments are
received only once, others require active and ongoing participation to foster the "living faith" of
those celebrating the rites. They are;

 Baptism

Baptism is seen as the sacrament of admission to the faith, bringing sanctifying grace to
the person being baptized. In Catholicism the baptism of infants is the most common
form, but unbaptized children or adults who wish to join the faith must also receive the
sacrament. A person is to be baptized only once in their life, and the Catholic Church
recognizes baptisms done by most other Christian denominations as valid. In the rite of
baptism holy water is usually sprinkled or poured on the head by a priest who
simultaneously invokes the Trinity with the words, "I baptize you in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The old self is said to die in the waters,
and a new self emerges, mirroring the death and resurrection of Christ. Given that the
sacrament is understood as a requirement for salvation, anyone, even non-baptized
persons, can baptize someone as the situation requires.

 Eucharist

The Eucharist, or Holy Communion, is another sacrament of initiation and can be

received daily if desired. It is the central rite of Catholic worship. A baptized child's First
Communion is usually celebrated around age seven or eight and is preceded by their first
confession (the sacrament of Reconciliation). During the mass the priest consecrates
bread and wine, the elements of the Eucharist, which are transubstantiated into the body
and blood of Christ. As a memorial of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and in a reflection of
his Last Supper with his disciples, the congregation then shares in the sacred meal.
Special lay ministers (i.e., non-priests) are trained to bring the consecrated elements to
the ill or otherwise homebound so that all Catholics can participate.

 Confirmation

Confirmation is the third sacrament of initiation and serves to "confirm" a baptized

person in their faith. The rite of confirmation can occur as early as age 7 for children who
were baptized as infants but is commonly received around age 13; it is performed
immediately after baptism for adult converts. A bishop or priest normally performs the
rite, which includes the laying on of hands in prayer and blessing and the anointing of the
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fore-head with chrism (holy oil) with the words,”Be sealed with the gifts of the Holy
Spirit.” In so "sealing" that person as a member of the church, the outward rite of
confirmation signifies the inner presence of the Holy Spirit, who is believed to provide
the strength to live out a life of faith. At confirmation a Catholic may symbolically take
the name of a saint to be his or her patron.

 Reconciliation

Also known as Confession or Penance, the sacrament of Reconciliation is seen as an

opportunity for renewal and can be done as often as needed. Some Catholics participate
weekly before receiving the Eucharist, whereas others may seek the sacrament only
during the penitential seasons of Lent or Advent. Reconciliation is a means of obtaining
pardon from God for sins for which the sinner is truly remorseful, and brings the sinner
back into communion with God and the Church. The sacrament is an opportunity for self-
reflection and requires that the person take full responsibility for his or her sins, both
those in thought and in action. During the rite, sins are recounted privately to a priest,
who is seen as a healer aiding the process, and the priest commonly assigns acts of
penance, such as specific prayers or acts of restitution, to complete in the following days.
A prayer of contrition is offered at the end of the confession, and the
newly absolved Catholic is urged to refrain from repeating those sins.

 Anointing of the Sick

Anointing of the Sick, formerly known as Extreme Unction, is a sacrament that is

administered to give strength and comfort to the ill and to mystically unite their suffering
with that of Christ during his Passion and death. This sacrament can be given to those
who are afflicted with serious illness or injury, those who are awaiting surgery, the
weakened elderly, or to ill children who are old enough to understand its significance. A
person can receive the sacrament as many times as needed throughout their life, and a
person with a chronic illness might be anointed again if the disease worsens. The rite can
be performed in a home or hospital by a priest, who prays over the person and anoints
their head and hands with chrism (holy oil). The priest may also administer the sacrament
of the Eucharist if the person has been unable to receive it and can hear a confession if so
desired. If a person is at the point of death, the priest also administers a special Apostolic
blessing in what is known as the Last Rites.

 Marriage

In Catholicism marriage is a sacrament that a baptized man and a baptized woman

administer to each other through their marriage vows and lifelong partnership. Given that
to a Catholic sacramental marriage reflects the union of Christ with the church as his
mystical body, marriage is understood to be an indissoluble union. The rite commonly
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takes place during a mass, with a priest serving as the minister of the mass and as a
witness to the mutual consent of the couple. The marriage union is used to sanctify both
the husband and wife by drawing them into a deeper understanding of God’s love and is
intended to be fruitful, with any children to be raised within the teachings of the church.

 Ordination

Ordination, or Holy Orders, is a sacrament that is available only to men who are being
ordained as deacons, priests, or bishops. As with Baptism and Confirmation, the
sacrament is said to convey a special indelible “character” on the soul of the recipient.
During the rite, which typically occurs during a special Sunday mass, a prayer and
blessing is offered as a bishop lays his hands on the head of the man being ordained. In
the case of the ordination of priests and bishops, this act confers the sacramental power to
ordain (for bishops), baptize, confirm, witness marriages, absolve sins,
and consecrate the Eucharist. Deacons can baptize, witness marriages, preach, and assist
during the mass, but they cannot consecrate the Eucharist or hear confessions. With the
exception of married deacons, an order restored by the Second Vatican Council, all
ordained men are to be celibate.

THE TRUE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SACRAMENTS AND HOW IT AFFECTS OUR

LIVES.

God’s sacraments, however, are deeper and richer than wedding rings. They actually strengthen
us spiritually to be faithful to our commitment to God. They help us grow in Christlikeness and
lead to closer communion with Christ. They do not work by themselves alone, in some magical
way. They must be accompanied by the Word and Spirit, and they are effective only when
combined with faith. Yet, when administered and received properly, they are an important means
of spiritual vitality and growth.

I will focus on the two and only two sacraments that God gives to His new covenant people: the
Lord’s Supper and baptism. We will explore the specific meaning of each one separately and
discuss how they serve as means of grace and spiritual strengthening in our lives.

THE LORD’S SUPPER (EUCHARIST)

Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper at a Passover meal with His disciples. The celebration of
Passover was an old covenant sign to remind God’s people of God’s great redemptive act in
bringing them out of slavery in Egypt (Ex. 13:9). The meal included lamb and unleavened bread,
both fitting signs because of their centrality to the exodus itself. The Israelites ate unleavened
bread because they were leaving quickly. The blood of the lamb applied to the doorframe of their
homes turned away the judgment God poured out on Egypt.
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Likewise, the Lord’s Supper celebrates God’s great redemptive event in the new covenant. Jesus
said at the Passover meal with His disciples, “This is my body, which is given for you” (Luke
22:19) and “This cup is the new covenant in my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of
sins” (Matt. 26:28). The Lord’s Supper is a sign that points us back to Christ’s death on the
cross. We eat and drink “in remembrance of” Christ (Luke 22:19).

The Lord’s Supper also points forward. At the Last Supper, Jesus, looking forward to the
consummation, said, “For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until
the kingdom of God comes” (Luke 22:18). Similarly, Paul writes with regard to the Lord’s
Supper, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until
he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26). Notice here that the Lord’s Supper “proclaims.” It is a visible word.

The Lord’s Supper, however, does more than make the Word visible. It involves all of our
senses. We see, but we smell, touch, and taste the bread and wine as well. The Lord’s Supper,
rightly observed, also includes hearing, occurring after the preaching of the Word and proper
instruction on the meaning of elements. The Lord’s Supper helps us better grasp the wonder of
Christ’s death by the involvement of all five senses. The Lord’s Supper makes Christ’s death on
the cross personal. Christ did not just die for sinners. Christ died for me.

The Lord’s Supper, in other words, seals this truth to our hearts. It is an external, physical
confirmation that I belong to Christ and that Christ has given himself to me.

Moreover, in the Lord’s Supper we commune spiritually with Christ. Paul writes: “The cup of
blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is
it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Cor. 10:16). The Greek word translated
“participation” is koinonia, a word that refers to intimate fellowship with someone. In contrast,
Paul admonishes the Corinthians not to have koinonia with demons by participating in pagan
worship (v. 20). Christ is spiritually present at the Lord’s Supper. When we partake of the bread
and cup, we have intimate communion with Him.

In the ancient world, eating a meal together was an expression of intimacy. Meals were also an
important part of covenant-making ceremonies. The parties entering into a covenant with one
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another would seal that agreement by eating together. We see this in Exodus 19–24. After God
made a covenant with Israel at Sinai, Moses and the leaders of Israel ate a meal on the mountain

in the presence of God. In fact, an intimate relationship between God and His people is the
purpose of God’s covenants with them.

This is especially clear in the new covenant. In the new covenant, God writes His law on our
hearts, God forgives our sins, and God makes Himself known to us in the most personal, intimate
way: “They shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Jer. 31:34). All three
persons of the Trinity are involved in this intimate relationship. God draws near to us in the
covenant. Christ became one with us to fulfill the promises of the new covenant. The Holy Spirit
dwells in us, making us a new creation and enabling us to fulfill the obligations of the covenant.
God is not just near us—He is in us.

The Lord’s Supper makes our intimate relationship with God a greater experiential reality for us.
It speaks to the heart of our relationship with God, namely, God’s love for us and our love for
God. In the supper, Christ is present, saying to us: “You are My beloved child. I laid down My
life for you. Now I give you strength to take up your cross and follow Me.”

The Lord’s Supper also reminds us of our new identity in the new covenant. The old covenant
Passover was to be celebrated with one’s family. Jesus, however, ate the Passover with His
disciples, indicating that they were the new, true family of God. All who follow Jesus are His
brothers and sisters. The Lord’s Supper is what some have called a “separating ordinance,”
marking us off as those who truly, wholly belong to Christ.

In this way, the Lord’s Supper also unites us to all who belong to Christ. Paul told the
Corinthians that because they were not eating together in a unified and unifying way, they were
not even eating the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:20). At the supper, we commune with Christ and
with one another. By the Spirit, the supper strengthens our bond to Christ and to our brothers and
sisters in Christ.

The Lord’s Supper is rich in its symbolism. Most importantly, it reminds us of Christ’s death in
our place as He took our judgment on Himself. It also confirms and strengthens our union with
Christ, as we not only remember but also commune spiritually with Christ. In the supper, we also
strengthen our bonds with one another. The Lord’s Supper points forward to the “marriage
supper of the Lamb,” which we will eat in the presence of Christ and with brothers and sisters in
Christ from every nation, tribe, language, and tongue. In the meantime, the Lord’s Supper
strengthens us to live for Christ as the body of Christ, setting us apart from the world, for the
world.

BAPTISM
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Baptism likewise is rich in symbolism. Unlike the Lord’s Supper, which is a recurring event in
the church, baptism is a one-time event for each individual. In this respect, it is similar to the
sign of circumcision. Like circumcision, baptism marks our entrance into the covenant
community.

The primary symbolism of baptism is washing or purifying. It is a sign that in Christ we are
clean. This connection of baptism with cleansing is natural because we bathe with water.
Baptism, however, points not to physical but to spiritual cleansing.

Several times the New Testament links baptism to having sins washed away. After Paul’s
conversion, Ananias comes to Paul and says, “Rise and be baptized and wash away your
sins” (Acts 22:16). Peter later writes, “Baptism, which corresponds to [the waters of the flood],
now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good
conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 3:21). Both of these, taken at a
surface level, might seem to say that baptism itself washes our sins away and saves us. On closer
inspection, this reading is in error. Peter says in the second half of the verse that the issue is not
the water on the body but the appeal to God because He has washed the guilt of our sin away.
Paul also writes that Christ has “cleansed [His church] by the washing of water with the
word” (Eph. 5:26). As John puts it, “the blood of Jesus. . . cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
The blood of Jesus cleanses, not the water of baptism. The water of baptism points to cleansing
in Christ’s blood.

Another aspect of baptism that differs from the Lord’s Supper is that in baptism the recipient of
baptism is passive. In the Lord’s Supper, the partakers are active. They actively take and eat and
drink. All who partake are called to examine themselves and to “discern the body” (1 Cor.
11:28–29). We are active participants in the Lord’s Supper.

The baptized person, on the other hand, is acted upon. Baptism points to God’s grace and to the
fact that salvation is all of God. God chose us and by His Spirit transforms us. Even faith is a gift
from God (Eph. 2:8; Phil. 1:29). Baptism says that those who belong to Christ have been saved
by the grace of God. Salvation, from start to finish, is God’s work.

Baptism in this sense also symbolizes God’s giving His Spirit to His people. Jesus referred to the
Spirit’s coming upon His people at Pentecost as a baptism. The coming of the Spirit in Acts 2 is
the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy that God would “pour out” His Spirit on all flesh—male and
female, Jew and gentile. Similarly, John the Baptist declared that he baptized with water, but that
Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.

The link between the Spirit and baptism, however, is more than just a literary connection. The
Spirit Himself is the means of spiritual cleansing. Paul writes that God “saved us . . . by the
washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). Likewise, in Ezekiel’s
version of Jeremiah’s new covenant prophecy, the prophet ties cleansing and the ability to obey
God to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit:
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I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from
all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put
within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey
my rules. (Ezek. 36:25–27)

Baptism, furthermore, sets us apart for Christ and identifies us with Christ. This is because Christ
identified with us in His own baptism. John the Baptist’s baptism was a “baptism of repentance
for the forgiveness of sin” (Mark 1:4). Jesus, the sinless Son of God, had not committed any sin.
John, in fact, tried to keep Jesus from being baptized, telling Him, “I need to be baptized by
you” (Matt. 3:14). Yet, Jesus’ mission was to identify with His people to take the guilt of their
sin on Himself. Paul writes, God “made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might
become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus was baptized by John not because He
needed to be cleansed from sin but because we needed to be cleansed from sin.

At His baptism, Jesus was set apart, ordained, to begin the ministry God had called Him to do.
Jesus was about thirty years old when He was baptized and began His ministry (Luke 3:23).
Thirty was the age that old covenant priests began their ministry (Num. 4:3). They were set apart
for ministry by a purification rite involving water (Ex. 29:4; Lev. 8:6). Likewise, Jesus’ baptism
set Him apart for His high priestly ministry of teaching, interceding for His disciples, and
offering Himself as the final and only sufficient sacrifice to take away all of the sins of all His
people.

In a similar way, baptism marks us off as belonging to God. It says that we have a new identity
in Christ. Under the old covenant, circumcision set the Israelites apart from the “uncircumcised”
gentiles. Baptism sets us apart from the world and says that we belong to Christ. Our baptism
symbolizes our union with Christ, who Himself became one with us and identified with us in His
baptism. Baptism also sets us apart to serve Christ. Like Christ (though not in exactly the same
way), we are “priests” (Rev. 1:6), called daily to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
acceptable to God (Rom. 12:1).

Cleansing, consecration, identity, initiation—these are central to the meaning of baptism. The
Westminster Larger Catechism instructs us that when baptisms occur we are to “improve” our
own baptism—to remember that we are one with Christ, washed, set apart, and called to serve
Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is a means of grace because it reminds us of who
we are and what God has done for us. Baptism does not save, but it points us to the grace of God
and to the riches of God in Christ.

While the sacraments are “visible words,” the written and spoken Word are primary in Christian
life and worship. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17), which
is the primary means of grace. Paul exhorts Timothy to devote himself as pastor in Ephesus to
the public reading of the Word, to teaching and to preaching (1 Tim. 4:13). The sacraments,
while important, do not bestow Christ in and of themselves in some mystical way. They
complement the preaching of the Word, and they must never supplant the reading and teaching
of Scripture. Sacraments should never occur without preaching and without a proper explanation
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of their meaning. When used rightly, however, the sacraments are vital means of grace to
strengthen us in our walk with the Lord.